Only 11 quarterbacks have thrown for more touchdowns. Only 13 QBs have averaged a better yards per pass attempt in their careers. Only 14 other players have completed more passes. Only 15 other signal-callers have thrown for more yards.

He tossed 353 TDs over his career. His touchdown-to-pick ratio was 3.1-to-1. He averaged 29 passing scores, nine interceptions, and 10 wins per season. He’s the only QB in NFL annals to amass both 40,000 passing yards and 5,000 rushing yards in the same career. He was 121-80-1 as a starter. He won a Super Bowl and was a horrible goal-line call away from winning a second.

If you take the name off the back of the jersey, and just look at the stats, that’s a Hall-of-Fame career, isn’t it? Those are the kind of career numbers you’d hope Bo Nix would aspire to. 

Alas, that resume comes with a name. And a reputation. And a pile of pure cheeseball high enough to climb Mount Elbert.

The subject of Russell Wilson — his career, his legacy — is, no shock, a bit of a mixed bag within the Grading The Week offices. But when we were forced to reckon with No. 3 one more time after he announced a few days ago his was transitioning from the NFL to an analyst job at CBS Sports, the football wonks decided on the following:

Despite a miserable two seasons in Denver that were the beginning of the end of a good career, it was, on the whole, a very good career. A Hall-of-Fame career. The GTW crew is cool with Russ getting his ticket punched to Canton one day. Just don’t force us to have to listen to his induction speech. Please.

Russell Wilson in Canton — B

When the Broncos sold the farm to acquire Wilson from Seattle in 2022, the idea was that, at age 33, Big Russ had enough juice left from a pretty glorious Seahawks decade to author the kind of dreamy coda Peyton Manning authored at Dove Valley a decade earlier.

Instead, what unfolded was a chain of nightmares. Wilson was a step or two slower than the guy who won rings with the Legion of Boom, and that step or two proved immense for a guy who loved to hang onto the ball too long. With Wilson’s quick-twitch fading, the sack count piled up. He never saw a throw in the middle of the field he liked, largely because he never looked in the middle of the field to begin with. Pairing that with a first-time, pleasant, but in-over-his-head head coach in Nathaniel Hackett turned into dark comedy, with fans at Empower Field having to count the play clock down, out loud, back at Russ to get him to get the ball snapped in time.

The pre-snap operations were far cleaner with Sean Payton in charge, but Wilson’s decision-making and sack-taking drove his notoriously fickle coach up a wall. Payton and Wilson were too set in their ways to co-exist. The Broncos chose to eat $85 million in dead-cap penalties just to flush Wilson out of their system — but cold turkey, in hindsight, proved to be the perfect dish. Without Russ crashing so quickly, so spectacularly, the Broncos wouldn’t have had to turn to Nix, nor revamp the locker room with so many young players all at once.

Denver launched Wilson’s NFL death spiral, but don’t let that entirely discount the 10 seasons that preceded it — Seattle Russ was 104-53-1 as a starter in the Northwest, made it to nine Pro Bowls, and led the Seahawks on eight playoff runs. Only eight other QBs have ever led more game-winning drives over a career than Wilson’s 40, which is the same career comeback number as John Elway’s. The more you forget about what Russ did in orange and blue, the better. For everybody.

Russell Wilson on TV — D

That said, the GTW kids would be pleasantly surprised if the notoriously pleasant, bland, inoffensive Russ is anything but terrible television.

Oh, he’ll look good. Dang good. He’ll be cool as heck. But one of the central tenets of an analyst position is sharing an actual, from-the-heart opinion, the occasional hot take. For DangeRuss, that might be too hot to handle.

“On the outside looking in, I would have him on a (reps) restriction,” Warren Moon, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback, told me over the phone Monday when I asked about Bo Nix, the Broncos’ QB1.

“I think (the Broncos) should put him on some type of pitch count, like you would put a quarterback on a pitch count if he had problems with his shoulder.

“You put him in, limit his (reps), and you see how he’s handling it in practice. It’s something they’re going to have to monitor as they go along and see how much (this month) he can take and how much he shouldn’t take.”

The Broncos open Organized Team Activities this week, ramping up to a mandatory mini-camp June 16-18. Nix, who’s coming off January ankle surgery, followed by another procedure in April, is expected to do more watching than throwing this month.

Which, to Moon’s ears, isn’t just safe. It’s smart. The former great who played six seasons in Canada before a 17-year NFL career with the Oilers, Vikings, Seahawks and Chiefs once tried to rush back from a bum right ankle himself. Fall of 1996.

“The quick movements that you have to make in the pocket, you just aren’t able to make as quickly,” Moon recalled. “I tried to practice with it as much as I could. They tried to give it time to heal … I probably should have given it a lot more time.”

Moon had sprained his right ankle against Detroit in Week 1, then sat out a week. In hindsight, he told me, it should’ve been longer. Warren fought like holy heck to play through the pain. Even though he couldn’t plant. Couldn’t cut. Couldn’t move. If you’re Warren Moon, you can fake it as an NFL signal-caller on one good leg. Until the pocket collapses.

“When I got that ankle sprain, it made me feel like I was The Mummy, like I was Frankenstein’s monster,” the 69-year-old chuckled. “I couldn’t move at all. I just didn’t have the mobility, just didn’t have the lightness on my feet to do the things that I was comfortable doing.”

Moon sat out Week 2, then made six straight starts before the ankle got dinged again during a home loss to Chicago on Oct. 28. With one working ankle, Warren tossed six scores with seven picks, completing 56.6% of his throws. In ’94 and ’95 with the Vikings, Moon had averaged seven tilts per season of at least 275 passing yards. After the ankle mess, he managed just two such games for Minnesota in ’96 over eight appearances — a freak injury that, in hindsight,

“When you were trying to move in the pocket to avoid somebody, I just didn’t have the same quick-twitch ability as I did when my ankle was healthy,” Moon offered.

“And then when you look at someone like Bo Nix, someone who relies on his mobility — if it’s not completely healed, it’s going to definitely hamper his mobility. Which is one of his strengths.”

Moon is a Nix fan, by the way. Says he even reminds him of somebody Warren used to run into during those business trips to Denver those many moons ago.

“(Nix) has a little bit of John Elway in him, in the way he moves,” Moon said. “His arm’s probably not as strong as John’s. John was one of those guys who could bring his team back at the end of a game. That’s one of the things Bo has done a good job of …

“Then there’s the movement, of course, (Nix) being able to move around and make plays with his legs. He would be similar that way, in those aspects of his game.”

Like Elway, those aspects are hard to replicate — and even harder to replace, as Steady Stiddy reminded us against the Patriots in the AFC Championship.

“(The Broncos) do a lot of things because of Bo’s mobility,” Moon said of Nix. “They do a lot of rollouts, a lot of bootlegs, a lot of play-action to take advantage of his throwing ability on the run. And you want to make sure he’s able to do things where Sean Payton can still run the type of offense (that) he still wants to run. I’m sure that’s something they’ll be looking at at (during) the OTAs.”

When it comes to ankle recoveries, Moon added, it’s also about looking at the long view. Any rep Nix can manage on the field during June is found money. The points on the calendar that matter more are the start of training camp in late July and sometime around the second preseason game against the Packers on Aug. 21. Anything before that is gravy.

“The main thing is that (Nix) is there physically, as the leader of the football team,” Moon continued. “That he’s going to be in the meetings, for the (instruction) that he needs to digest, that the team sees that he’s doing things.

“The fact that he’s there (at OTAs), that’s huge. It’s not an Aaron Rodgers deal where you don’t know if he’s going to show up or not, where the team is wondering, ‘Is he going to be our leader?’ They know, ‘Hey, our QB1 is here.’ (The Broncos) seeing that he’s doing what he can on the field, that confidence bleeds over to the rest of the football team, too.”

Want Bo in the flow?

Low and slow is the way to go.

“I really like what they’ve done in a short period of time. The future looks great for them,” Moon stressed. “And the kid from Miami (Jaylen Waddle) they got in the offseason — I know Sean is going to come up with a lot of ideas as to how to use him. They’re going to be right there in the thick of things at the end of the regular season. Just like they were last year.”

With deep regret, we note that the season for negative televised political campaigns is back in action.

We, viewers and voters, are subjected to very ugly photographs and rhetoric. The ads from the Democratic Party’s two major candidates for Colorado governor, for example, are so brutal that they might lead us to two kinds of conclusions. One is that the stinging rhetoric will leave lasting images in our minds, even following the inauguration. We will ask ourselves if the winning candidate can be trusted. The other question is about the creators of this kind of material. Are they trustworthy? Are the candidates themselves responsible? “Why,” we might ask, “would any candidate allow this kind of destructive brutality to be aired on their behalf?”

What might an average citizen do to eliminate this toxicity and to insist on a higher, respectful level of political discussion? Perhaps each of us could call the campaign offices and register an official protest. As we communicate our deep displeasure, we can model respectful behavior in our phone calls.

Peter Hulac, Denver

Don’t cry for Colorado sports fans

Re: “Nix’s ankle. MacKinnon’s knee. Are Denver sports cursed?” May 26 sports commentary

Hey, Sean Keeler,

Kiss every bruise, interspersing my whooped behind. As a tortured Minnesota professional sports fan, I must say, questioning whether Colorado teams are cursed is equivalent to an Aspen billionaire spitting out a slightly stale serving of Caspian caviar over the hood of his trust-fund Porsche.

After reading your recent diatribe likening Bo Nix’s ankle, Cale Makar’s shoulder and Nathan MacKinnon’s knee to a Billy Goat-esque jinx, my fingers almost fell off from playing the world’s smallest violin for hours on end.

You speak as though the Centennial State hasn’t been fed professional championships via silver spoon for decades. John Elway and Terrell Davis did it twice. Peyton Manning added another. Nikola Jokić and Murray secured an NBA ring in 2023. The Colorado Avalanche have three Stanley Cups.

Try growing up 15 minutes away from the Minneapolis Metrodome. No matter how hard I scrub, the putrid stink of institutionalized loss follows me to every barstool. Norm Green kidnaps our former hockey team to Texas, a place where ice is exclusively used to chill Lone Stars. Gary Anderson misses a Super-Bowl-berth field goal. Kevin Garnett loses to Kobe Bryant, leaves Minnesota, wins a ring with Boston. Big Papi loses to David Eckstein, leaves Minnesota, wins a ring with Boston. Brett Favre, Anthony Edwards, Kirill Kaprizov, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Professional Colorado teams are nowhere near cursed. Nix will heal. MacKinnon will heal. My derrière, however, will not.

Just ask Buffalo. They know what I’m talking about.

Ray K. Erku

Colorado sportsnation turns its lonely eyes to you, Rockies

2026 is proving to be the worst of times in Mile High sportsland! The Broncos faltered in the snow, the Nuggets floundered on the hardwood, and now the Avalanche fail on ice. It leaves all our hopes and prayers residing on the bottom-feeding Rockies.

Looking grim, folks, and the year’s not half over.

Harry Puncec, Lakewood

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And still, he returned for a Broncos curtain call, on Monday, in the building where he helped lay the current foundation.

Ten years to the day that the Broncos drafted him in 2016, the 32-year-old Simmons announced the end of his playing days on Wednesday morning through a video announcement on the Broncos’ account. After a one-year stint with the Falcons and a year-long absence from football, Simmons also signed a ceremonial deal to retire with the Broncos.

Simmons welled up several times in a 30-minute-long press conference later Wednesday afternoon in Dove Valley, thanking a seemingly never-ending slew of backers: wife Taryn for supporting him, Broncos executive John Elway for drafting him, general manager George Paton for extending him, and the Denver fanbase for sticking with him.

“It just felt like there was a lot asked, and I feel like I fell short,” Simmons said, on his eight-year career in Denver. “So, that’s why — a lot of the emotional aspect of it. And so, I felt like I let a lot of people down over the years.”

“And so, to see that type of reaction for me is more than I deserve,” he continued, on the response to his retirement. “It’s heartwarming. I’m thankful. I’m blessed, I’m honored.”

The heartbeat of the Broncos’ defense

For eight seasons after Elway took him with the final pick of the third round in 2016, Simmons led the Broncos’ secondary, defense and locker room at large. His 30 interceptions are tied for seventh all-time in Denver franchise history. And he lives in rooms he’s never touched — still flashing across the tape that Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker shows players, a deep-safety model for the defense that the former Broncos secondary coach wants to install in Dallas.

Parker has a simpler lasting memory of his years with Simmons, though.

By Jan. 8, 2021, the Vic Fangio era as the Broncos’ head coach was over. The locker room, Parker remembered, had a “feeling” about that, heading into a Week 18 matchup with the Chiefs. For a fifth straight season in Denver, they had nothing to play for. Simmons’ safety partner, Kareem Jackson, was hurt. Future Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II was hurt. Ronald Darby, the other starting corner, was hurt.

And yet Simmons trotted out to play like everything was on the line.

“He was still scratching,” Parker said, remembering. “He was clawing, out there.”

One’s football legacy is strange, Simmons said. His is no exception. He was a two-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, and tied for seventh all-time in Broncos history in interceptions. He showed up, as Parker pointed out, playing 118 of a possible 131 games in Denver. He also had one season with a winning record but never made the playoffs.

It ate at him, as Simmons said. He told reporters on Wednesday that he believed each passing year would be the year. Behind the scenes, he had “a lot of talks” with Parker about a burning desire to simply make the postseason, as the Dallas defensive coordinator recounted.

“That����ap really all he wanted to do, to be honest with you,” Parker said. “I think if you asked if he would trade some of those career accolades relative to the interceptions and All-Pro nominees, and all that kinda stuff — to have that taste of January and February football, he would trade it in a heartbeat.”

That never came, and the Broncos cut Simmons for his price tag while rebuilding under Payton after the 2023 season. He signed in Atlanta in 2024 to try and chase a playoff berth — but found it “miserable,” as he said, to be away from his wife and FaceTime-parenting his three children, who were still living in Denver.

Simmons continued to train throughout the 2025 season but never signed with a franchise. The time he regained with family, though, was invaluable, as he recounted. Eventually, he found peace in realizing that it was “just time” to move away from his playing days, he said.

The safety had always wanted to retire a Bronco, even after being cut, Parker said. And the two years away from Denver helped Simmons find peace, too, with a tenure that lacked wins but had a much greater effect on the orbit around him.

“My overall goal was to leave here, and continue the legacy and to be a Hall of Fame player,” Simmons said. “Obviously, I fell short of that, I think. Not I think — I know I fell short of that.

“I think what I’m the most proud of, though, is the adversity that popped up in those eight seasons … it����ap hard to get recognized as a player when your team is not doing well,” Simmons continued. “It����ap a very difficult thing. So I’m proud of the way I was able to fight through some adversity in that aspect. It����ap hard when you have a lot going on. It helped me, though. It����ap part of my journey and my career. I’m thankful for it.”

Simmons has been a bridge between eras in Denver. He was drafted in 2016, the year after the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win. His time ended in 2023, the year before the Broncos returned to the playoffs. Denver went 52-79 in Simmons’ eight seasons, and saw six different coaches don a headset, and pivoted through a massive ownership change from the late Pat Bowlen to the Walton-Penner Group.

Still, Simmons became a “legend in his own way,” as former teammate Melvin Gordon told The Post. He organized Thursday bowling sessions and dinners with the defensive backs, and took care of the youngsters, Gordon said. Simmons was named a three-time captain and remained consistently accountable to local media during losing seasons. His impact ripples through foundational pieces still on the Broncos’ roster — Garett Bolles, Courtland Sutton, Surtain and Alex Singleton.

Gordon, a former Pro Bowler who played for the Broncos for three seasons, is quick to admit he fell into a bad place in Denver by his final year. He fumbled five times in 2022 and said he began to lose his “love for the game.”

Simmons, Gordon said, helped keep that passion burning through simple words and simple locker-room games of UNO.

“Sometimes, you do need a leader to show you the way,” Gordon said. “And I think he made his mark that way.”

The safety made his mark in the community, too, serving as an active mentor at the Broncos Boys and Girls Club. And after retirement, Simmons said he intends to try to wedge a foot into the broadcasting world — and explore a potential position at a local high school program, similar to Cherry Creek High head coach Dave Logan.

“I want to be the guy in the community that����ap a consistent, reliable figure for kids to look up to,” Simmons said.

And he hopes he left a legacy, as he said Wednesday, of a man who cared.

“I passionately cared,” Simmons said. “I wanted to do well. I really wanted to win. Didn’t work out. And I’m so glad that they’re winning now.”

Safety Justin Simmons, who spent all but one of his active seasons with Denver, announced his retirement Wednesday at the age of 32. He did so as a Bronco, where he spent the better part of a decade building a legacy as a fan favorite on the field and a model in the community.

Simmons’ announcement came 10 years to the day after Denver drafted him.

“My time in Denver literally shaped me into the man that I am,” Simmons said in a retirement announcement video shared by the team. “To the best fans in the world and ����apountry, thank you so much for all your support both for myself and for my family.”

Simmons was selected in the third round of the 2016 draft by the Broncos and played eight years in blue and orange, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods and making second-team All-Pro four times. He blossomed into one of the best safeties in football, logging 30 interceptions over his eight seasons in Denver.

Simmons was released by the Broncos in the spring of 2024 and spent the ensuing season with the Atlanta Falcons on a one-year deal. A free agent through the 2025 season, Simmons never latched on to a team and has not played in a game since Atlanta’s regular-season finale on Jan. 5, 2025.

Simmons, his wife Taryn and their children still call Denver home and Simmons’ legacy off the field will endure every bit as long and perhaps even more profoundly than his on-field exploits.

Simmons has done extensive work with the Boys & Girls Club in Denver among many other endeavors through the Justin Simmons Foundation.

Simmons occupies a unique place in Broncos history. His numbers and impact are that of a Ring of Fame-type player. His time with the franchise, though, did not feature much winning.

Simmons arrived to the Broncos as the club came off a Super Bowl victory to cap the 2015 season.

Selected by then-general manager John Elway to play for head coach Gary Kubiak, Simmons saw the field as a rookie but Denver finished in third place in the AFC West at 9-7 and missed the postseason. They didn’t make the playoffs in any of the following seven seasons under head coaches Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett or Sean Payton, either.

Then Simmons was released but took some solace in latching on with the Falcons, who looked like a contender in the NFC South. Instead Atlanta missed the postseason and the Broncos have made it each of the past two years, following up a 10-7 Wild Card year in 2024 with a 14-3 campaign and subsequent run to the AFC Championship Game last season.

Still, Simmons will be universally revered by ����apountry for who he was as a player and who he is as a man.

Just maybe not as an outside linebacker.

“If I don’t go back to Denver and play as a football player,” Miller told The Denver Post on Monday, “I would like to go back to Denver and be in the front office, or whatever, in some capacity.”

In 2011, a 22-year-old Miller sat down in Indianapolis for a combine meeting with then-Broncos general manager John Elway, and felt something. After winning a Super Bowl ring and making eight Pro Bowl appearances in more than a decade in the NFL, he figured out what it was. In the room shadowing Elway, as Miller remembered, was former NFL Pro Bowler and Broncos safety John Lynch. Miller noticed, then. And he noticed, six years later, when Lynch was hired as the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager .

“As I played throughout my career, and I started to think about things I wanted to do and how to stay attached to football without playing — those core memories just kinda chose me,” Miller said.

Quietly, in 2023, Miller — going into his second year with the Buffalo Bills — returned to the NFL combine to begin rubbing elbows with some of the league’s decision-makers. He told Bills general manager Brandon Beane of his future ambitions, and Beane “stoked that flame,” Miller said. For three straight years, Miller has returned to the combine to continue relationship-building with NFL front offices.

Now, as the 37-year-old Miller can see the end nearing for his playing days, he’ll make it plain: he wants to become an NFL general manager.

And he’d like the path to lead him back to Denver, soon enough.

“I’m not a contract guy,” Miller said, when asked where he sees himself climbing the ladder in a front office. “I’m not going to sit in there and deal with contracts, and find numbers — I’m not a numbers guy. When it comes to scouting, I’m not going to sit there and watch film for 20 hours a day, either. I think my talent is just, people. Knowing people. The infrastructure of a team, knowing how to put together a schedule – just the daily grind of being a player in the National Football League. I know what it takes, and I know what it looks like to be a championship organization.”

, of course, that he wants to re-sign with the Broncos as an edge rusher this offseason, first and foremost. He is quick to point out that he finished with nine sacks for the Commanders in 2025, the most he’s tallied since the season Denver traded him in 2021. After a one-year deal with Washington expired, Miller said he’s had no communication with the Broncos during this free agency; he’s hopeful, he said, that general talks with organizations heat up post-NFL Draft.

“I know I can still play,” Miller said. “I know I at least got one more year in me. So I’m just waiting to see whatever the universe gives me.”

The stars aren’t exactly pointing toward Denver. Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper are entrenched as Denver’s starting outside linebackers, and the Broncos are so loaded at edge rusher that they’re moving 2023 third-round pick Jonah Elliss to inside linebacker to open up more snaps for both him and 2025 fourth-round pick Que Robinson.

If the Broncos are interested in Miller or other veteran help, though, now is the time to strike. According to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, the compensatory free-agent window officially closed Monday at 2 p.m. This has major implications for Denver, as the Broncos stand to be gifted a 2027 mid-round pick after losing key defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers to a massive contract with the Titans in March.

Denver was silent in the initial wave of free agency, with just one external signing: Bengals safety and special-teams player Tycen Anderson. This was strategic, not merely about valuing roster retention. Signing another big-money free agent during the compensatory period would’ve wiped out any pick awarded from Franklin-Myers’ signing.

“It does — I mean, it doesn’t dictate what we’re doing, but we obviously know it����ap there,” general manager George Paton said at league meetings in March, asked if preserving compensatory picks factored into Denver’s offseason decision-making.

“Next year, we should get the 4, and maybe a 7th,” Paton continued later, referencing the additional departure of safety P.J. Locke to Dallas. “That����ap what you want to get to. It took us a while to get here, where we can get compensatory picks. And you see other teams do it, and I like that we’re doing it.”

Now, though, the Broncos are free to throw a few million at remaining free agents, with no fear of losing the pick gained from Franklin-Myers. There’s still a wealth of talent left on the market, too: the most obvious fit is former Saints All-Pro Cam Jordan, who racked up 10.5 sacks in 2025 and has remained close with head coach Sean Payton from their New Orleans days. Denver native Calais Campbell could also be a target if he decides to play a 19th NFL season, still highly productive as an interior disruptor at the remarkable age of 39.

And Miller remains as a potential reunion candidate, too, before his eventual foray into the personnel world.

That journey may not be far off, though.

“I’m confident in that — I’ll be back in Denver, in some capacity,” Miller said. “If not a player, as a GM, or front-office.

“It’s just, I think it was the same way with Elway,” he continued, noting Elway’s player-to-executive path in Denver. “When you have that much love, and the energy is just so loving that — we just gotta figure it out. If it����ap not a player, it����ap a spot for me in Denver. We just gotta figure it out.

“And it����ap just a matter of time.”

Roche, a 36-year-old father of three, coaches a middle school team in Arvada. The Faith Christian alum was a Division III All-American kicker, and when the were formed three years ago, he started following the local National Arena League franchise.

His interest peaked last year, when conversations with his Arvada Mustangs players led to his

“I’d watched some of the NAL games last year, and viewing it from a coaches’ perspective who coaches a lot of specialists, I felt like I could still compete,” Roche said. “So I started talking to some of the kids on my team about it. They were super jazzed. They encouraged me to do it and actually showed up to the tryout, so I had a cheering section at the tryout.”

Roche made the team at the open tryout, and then after spending the warm winter kicking at the by his house, he beat out the Spartans’ incumbent for the starting job following training camp.

The kicker is emblematic of the which is filled with talented players who took a winding journey to play for the Denver-based arena football team. Many were college standouts who never got a chance at the next level. Some sniffed the NFL, but didn’t make it.

And with the typical pay around a few thousand dollars for the season, all are playing for the love of the game.

“It’s a labor of love for sure,” explained defensive lineman Sam Hammond, last year’s NAL “A lot of us feel like we’ve got more in the tank and we’re not ready to give up. A lot us, we were on the cusp (of playing in the Canadian Football League, the United Football League or the NFL). But there’s only so many spots, and it’s tough.

“A lot of us still want to make it to the next level. I just try to focus on winning every rep, taking it one rep at a time, one game at a time, putting my best effort out there. That’s what I did in college (as a walk-on turned team captain) at Nevada. I was focused on playing ball, winning, having fun. I’ve gotten back to that, and it’s really rewarding.”

Colorado’s arena football history

The Spartans were founded in 2023 by a former South Dakota State defensive lineman who later played arena football in South Dakota. The Spartans played their first season at Blue Arena in Loveland before moving to the Denver Coliseum last year.

The franchise is one of two Colorado teams in the NAL, along with the , who are in their inaugural season and call the Southwest Motors Events Center home. The , founded in 2017, added three teams this season, bringing its total to nine.

“It definitely seems like the league is gaining some momentum,” Hammond said.

The Spartans and the Punishers are the latest chapter in the spotty history of Colorado arena football, which has been unable to sustain long-term momentum.

The state’s first team was the Denver Dynamite, owned by Nuggets owner Sidney Schlenker. The Dynamite started in 1987 as a charter member of the Arena Football League and played their home games at McNichols Sports Arena. But after winning the inaugural ArenaBowl, instability plagued the Dynamite, which did not field a team in ’88 and by early ’92.

Next came the Colorado Crush, which was owned by John Elway, Pat Bowlen and Stan Kroenke. Elway served as the team’s CEO. The Crush played at Ball Arena (then the Pepsi Center) from 2003-08, winning the ArenaBowl in ’05, and disbanded when the Arena Football League canceled its season in ’09. Even though it was short-lived, the Crush remains the most prominent Colorado arena team, and a popularity benchmark for the Spartans to aim for.

“We want to continue to grow the brand, and the reputation of the league and of Spartan football,” Roche said. “If we could get back to like the days of the Crush in Denver, that would be a really great thing.”

There was also a second iteration of the Colorado Crush, which was not affiliated with the first version. That team, originally known as the Colorado Ice, played in United Indoor Football and the Indoor Football League (IFL) from 2006-17.

While the Spartans are looking to buck the state’s historical impermanence in the sport, they and the NAL also face strong competition across the country, albeit in different markets. There are three other arena leagues in operation: the , which has been operating since 2009, as well as and .

The IFL — which has 14 teams, strong attendance and some legacy AFL franchises — is in a stable spot, but Hammond believes the talent in the IFL and the NAL is comparable.

“The IFL has been around for a good minute, but as (the NAL) builds up its fan base, it’ll be even bigger and better,” Spartans wideout/cornerback/returner Steve Newbold added. “The Spartans are a key part of that effort.”

For the fun, and the film

Some of the Spartans, such as Roche, are settled enough in their lives and careers that playing arena football is a fun hobby on the side, and one their family can share in.

That’s the case for , a Vista Ridge alum who played at Missouri S&T. The wideout participated in rookie camps with the Chiefs, Saints, and Colts, but nothing panned out. He played last season in the IFL.

Spartans QB Paxton Lynch, the Broncos’ first-round draft pick in 2016, convinced his friend Michel to join the Spartans this season. Michel, who coaches a 7-on-7 high school team in Colorado Springs, finally caved when he considered playing in a fun environment compared to what he experienced while trying to break into the NFL. And getting to play with his wife and infant son in the stands was another plus.

“I thought to myself, ‘Why not go out one last time and just have fun doing it?'” Michel said. “My goal is to just have fun playing football again, because it’s a whole lot more pressure and a lot more demanding (in the outdoor pro leagues).”

Other Spartans, like Lynch — who suffered a season-ending knee injury a few games into the season — hope suiting up for the Spartans leads to a chance in a league such as the CFL, the UFL or overseas.

Newbold, one of the top pass-catchers in the NAL each of the last two seasons, fits that mold. So does , who acknowledged, “If you can make it in this league, that’s just the first step to moving up.”

“What keeps me playing is just knowing I still have the ability to play,” said Newbold, 28, who played two years in the IFL before arriving in Denver. “With the Spartans, I still have more chances to showcase my talent because I feel like I was overlooked coming off a strong college career ().

“So every time I make a play or catch a TD it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m still here,’ and maybe that will eventually lead to something.”

That’s what Thompson hopes for his players.

The 37-year-old, who entered ownership after his own arena career ended due to knee surgery, wants the Spartans to serve as a springboard to higher-profile, better-paid leagues for those who are good enough.

“I tell guys, ‘I don’t want you to be on my team forever,'” Thompson said. “I want them to get out to , go up to Canada and the CFL. There’s even some cool European leagues. There’s a Mexican football league as well.

“But first, you need film. Because if you can ball out in arena football, you’ve got an opportunity to make some pretty good money (in an outdoor league).”

Components to Spartans’ longevity

While players dream of what they can achieve on the field, off it, Thompson is determined to run the Spartans in a way that can consistently attract players and bolster the franchise’s chances of longevity.

Like most arena teams, the Spartans’ roster is filled with players from across the country. The team provides housing for those players, via an apartment complex on south Broadway as well as another one in Arvada where the Spartans practice. Players are also connected with jobs via the team’s union.

Thompson also provides health insurance for the players, and food is taken care of, too, thanks to partnerships with local restaurants that the players can eat at for free, as well as catered meals on practice and game days.

“I’ve had players come to me in their first year with our organization, and they say, ‘Holy (crap), you guys got some nice housing, because last year I lived with three other guys in a camper,'” Thompson said. “… I want to make sure these guys are taken care of because I need them to show up, and I need them to be comfortable.

“There’s been stories of (arena players) couch-surfing, which is not good for any level of football. And if my weekly check is $250 (which is league minimum), but I’m spending $400 a week on food, then this ain’t working out. But all of that is part of the standard we’re seeking. We’ve got to try to raise that across all of arena football, because it’s going to help us grow as a product.”

Fan experience is paramount for the team, which has drastically elevated attendance since moving from Loveland to Denver.

In Loveland, the Spartans were a secondary tenant in the arena to the American Hockey League’s and thus the minor-league hockey team had priority to host games on Friday and Saturday nights. That left the Spartans playing games on Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays, which wasn’t conducive to drawing big crowds.

In their final home game of 2024, the Spartans sold just 140 tickets. But the move to the Denver Coliseum and the ability to play most of their home games on Saturdays spiked attendance. Last season’s regular-season finale drew about 3,400 fans, according to Thompson, and this season’s home opener on April 11 was over 3,000.

The Spartans bill themselves as a cheaper, more intimate way for families to experience professional sports. Thompson, who wants the Spartans to emulate the stability and attendance of the National Lacrosse League as well as the Savannah Bananas’ fan engagement, hopes the team can eventually sell out the

The Spartans put seats on the Coliseum floor to be close to the action, and Thompson encourages his players to dance and interact with the crowd when they make plays in the high-octane, high-scoring game that is arena football. The team is also engaging with its sponsors to develop creative draws, such as giving away 500 free tickets to youth football players during its game on April 18.

“The way we grow is the fan experience is going to be the most important thing, and then that is going to correlate to repeat customers,” Thompson said. “Even if we don’t win an arena championship, but people have fun, they’re going to want to come back and support us the next year.”

Oklahoma City is irritating, but never stops winning. The Thunder arrive in Denver on Friday with the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed secured, and victories in 19 of their last 20 games.

They have the Great One in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the runaway favorite for back-to-back MVP honors. And the Grate One in Lu Dort, the willing villain in this budding rivalry. They also have roughly nine players named Jalen Williams, each better than the last.

The Thunder are a problem. And not the only one. The Spurs are not going anywhere, too young to know any better.

So as much as we want to declare the Nuggets a championship team — they own their first 10-game winning streak since 2013 — understand what that means.

It would require making history. No biggie, right?

The Nuggets are on a well-timed heater with the playoffs lurking. A week ago, a Friday smackdown with the Thunder would have been must-watch theatre, but the stakes have changed. Denver has snatched the No. 3 seed from the free-falling Lakers, and OKC has no reason to play its starters.

So this is not the litmus test we all wanted.

Soon enough, we will find out if the Nuggets’ frailties are too prominent to advance through the postseason turnstiles.

They have qualities that could, even should, make them the best. They also have issues that could leave them burdened by regret.

How can a team with Nikola Jokic, once again assuming the title of best player in the world, be vulnerable?

How can a team playing like this get clobbered over the head in the playoffs?

There are two things that you need to get comfortable with if convinced a parade sequel is possible: The 2006 Miami Heat. And defense.

Miami is the last champion to topple multiple 60-win teams in the postseason. Since 1993, it has only been done by the Bulls (three times), the 1995 Rockets and Heat. The Magic knocked out a pair of 60-win clubs in 2009, but lost in the Finals to the Lakers.

Five times in 33 seasons resulted in a ring, and more than half of the feats involved Michael Jordan. It doesn’t exactly soothe the nerves.

OKC makes the skin crawl, and San Antonio’s new car smell is annoying, but taking them both out would be more impressive than Rocky’s half-court bank shot.

It would be the most unlikely title since the 1997 Broncos, who eliminated the Chiefs and Steelers on the road and dismissed the Packers as the biggest underdog since the Jets in Super Bowl III. That team, forever remembered in our region, was motivated to capture the franchise’s first title for John Elway.

Win one for Jonas doesn’t exactly have the same ring to it.

But if you don’t believe in the Nuggets now, you never will. They have capitalized on a soft stretch in a league where one-third of the teams are tanking. Their health has improved, save for Peyton Watson’s absence, and their opening night starting lineup is 18-5.

The Nuggets outlasted the Spurs last Saturday, an overtime victory where Jokic served notice to Victor Wembanyama that he can make his MVP case at the podium, but not on the court against him.

Everything about the victory illustrated what could make this 2023 all over again.

But the truth is, the Nuggets caught a break that postseason. They plowed through the Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers and Heat. Not one of those opponents had 46 regular-season wins, let alone 60.

The Nuggets need not apologize for the path, but it was the autobahn compared to the mountainous terrain that awaits.

What makes the climb so tough? The Nuggets’ flirtation with defense.

“I think we need to do a better job of (it),” guard Christian Braun said.

Or as coach David Adelman put it, “At some point you have to sit down and guard.”

As it stands, there is poetry in the Nuggets’ offense, but no symmetry with all other phases. In recent wins, the Nuggets yielded 72 first-half points to the Blazers — rhymes with average — and the barnstorming Memphis G-League All-Stars.

They suffocated the Blazers in the fourth. And the Grizzlies in the third.

Why does it take embarrassment to get that type of effort?

The wins are something. But they will mean nothing if the Nuggets cannot play on both ends of the floor.

The dirty little secret is this: The Nuggets will not survive prolonged defensive lapses against the Spurs or Thunder, especially on the road. And they will have to steal a game on those courts to move on.

“We have flipped defensively at some point in all these games. We have been inconsistent all year with that,” Adelman admitted. “When we get stops and defensive rebounds…  we get fast break points to complement the shooting, the post-ups, all those things, and we are really hard to beat.”

The Nuggets have demonstrated they can do it. But it requires, as Adelman explained, “really good focus.” There can be hiccups. Not gasps. There can be mistakes. But not a layup line of blow-bys.

The Nuggets are impossible to guard when they blend transition buckets with their half-court motion offense. They have the lineup and the bench to defeat any of their playoff opponents. They also have a defense that could deliver a first-round exit.

Go ahead, feel good about what the Nuggets are doing, about where they stand.

But stopping the clap of Thunder and rattle of Spurs calls for something special. It demands going down in history for making one of the most improbable playoff runs our state has ever seen.

No one wanted the Broncos to spend like Liberace. But how about Cincinnati?

Only three teams have yet to sign a free agent off another roster since legal tampering opened Monday morning: the Seahawks, Jaguars and Broncos.

All are playoff teams.

The difference? The nuance? Seattle won the Super Bowl last month. And the Jaguars are a “smaller market” team. Are the Broncos really taking cues from them?

The Seahawks crossed the finish line because of shrewd additions. They took risks on quarterback Sam Darnold and receiver Cooper Kupp.

There were misses, like receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. But, this was a contender determined to take a step forward. It was not unlike the Eagles the previous year when they added running back Saquon Barkley and defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

Seattle’s gamble paid off in a ring.

So what are the Broncos doing?

What new running back did they sign this week?

Nobody.

Which secondary receiver did they welcome to a room that needs experience?

None.

What about tight end? Surely, they brought in help at a position that has struggled with receiving production since the salad days of Noah Fant. Right?

Nope.

Perhaps the previous free agent signings by coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton convinced everyone into believing the Broncos would make a single headline-worthy move.

That was the expectation.

And it was born from words, not delusion.

Paton explained at the end-of-season press conference in January that, “We will determine our needs. We’ll be aggressive in filling those needs.”

In addressing how coming so close could shape this offseason, coach Payton admitted at the NFL Combine, “We won a lot of games by one score or less (12-3 record). I’m not naive enough to think those games couldn’t have swung. You could grab any two or three, but where’s the meat on the bone? It is with our takeaways. That has to improve. Our run game consistency (has to improve).”

So what happened?

The Broncos fell in love with their own players in a sport where falling in like is advised.

They finished with the second fewest takeaways in franchise history last season, and instead of pursuing Jacksonville linebacker Devin Lloyd — he had five interceptions a year ago, one more than the Broncos’ entire starting secondary — they stayed in-house, re-signing Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton.

They are solid players. But wasn’t the preference one or the other? Apparently not.

The thought is that they steady Vance Joseph’s defense, in play calls, blitzes and leadership. But are they good enough to win a Super Bowl? You’ve seen them. Do you agree?

It is easier to argue for sticking with the inside linebackers than with the offensive positions.

To run it back at running back remains deflating.

Understand something. Everyone loves J.K. Dobbins, the bilingual breakaway threat who answers to the nickname “El Toro.” But if you are going to be OK with bringing him back with a $5 million raise, then you have to be prepared for the consequences, namely that he will not play a full season.

It has never happened. His injury history looks like a script from “The Pitt.”

Dobbins defended the Broncos’ move on social media. He replied with fire to a Twitter post that asked how Denver could pay him $10 million a year and not give Travis Etienne Jr. $13 million: “Go be a fan of a different team lame (butt) dude and don’t try to turn back around when I shut the fluke injury (blank) up this year.”

I was cool with keeping Dobbins — as a complementary piece to Etienne. The Broncos had enough money to pay them both.

Have we forgotten how Dobbins’ foot injury derailed the offense last year? The run game wilted with rookie R.J. Harvey as the starter, costing the Broncos a chance to win the AFC Championship. Payton is correct. Consistency is the key. But it is impossible without availability.

If Dobbins stays in the lineup, it will be a terrific story. The odds are against it.

The Broncos boast a championship-caliber defense. So, not arming Bo Nix with more weapons while he is on a rookie contract feels like a huge mistake.

There is the belief, one expressed by Payton, that free agents can be deceiving. Last August, he told a story of his parents finding couches — thanks to friend Andrew Mason of 104.3 The Fan for digging this up — at garage sales.

“They would come home with a new couch. And you were so excited — it was a sectional — until you sat in the left corner and it wiggled,” Payton said. “And then you realized why it was a free agent.”

This is countered by the fact that the Broncos don’t sniff the NFL’s Final Four without significant free agent upgrades in Mike McGlinchey, Ben Powers, Zach Allen and Talanoa Hufanga.

The hit rate on open market players is around 35 percent. And that was Denver’s batting average last season when landing Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and Evan Engram.

Again, no one was asking them to go full John Elway when he signed DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and Emmanuel Sanders in 2014. But let’s be clear, the Broncos had the best offense in NFL history before they arrived, and they would not have won the Super Bowl without the defensive boost.

Yes, Payton and Paton have earned the benefit of the doubt. But why make it so hard on themselves, especially with the schedule much tougher next season?

This means they have to ace the draft — Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr. or Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers make a lot of sense. They have to stay healthy and coach up young players like Harvey, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.

It is not a terrible plan. It is just the worst plan for this offseason. They are so close, and no one objectively watches the offense and thinks it is elite.

So, the answer is Davis Webb calling plays? That is going to make up the difference that could have been provided by a big-time free agent? Are we even sure Webb is going to keep the job all season? Are you convinced he is not going to get pushback on new ideas from Payton?

The defense to all of this is the 11 contract extensions signed since July 2024. Those players returned the Broncos to relevancy and achieved cost certainty.

So, given the chance to make a splash, the Broncos chose not to dip their toes in the pool.

The big names are gone in free agency.

The Broncos decided to do nothing. And be very loud about it. Maybe they are right. It would not be the first time. But if not, we don’t want to hear any excuses about how they lacked a playmaker.

You are welcome, Broncos. This is your free agent wish list. Your offseason orange and blueprint.

Enough with starter by committee.

Enough with sacrificing games to develop a prospect.

Enough with a screen game that should be a drinking scream game.

Enough with under 4 yards per carry.

The Broncos have sprung to life over the past three years under coach Sean Payton. But when it comes to their offense, enough is enough. Payton surrendered play-calling to Davis Webb — it is in name only until evidence arrives in games — but that cannot suffice.

For the Broncos to reach the Super Bowl and win it — the last two steps on this remarkable climb back to relevancy — they have to go for it. Sign free agent running back Travis Etienne Jr.

Take cues from the Avs. No team understands the urgency of operating in a championship window like the local hockey club. The Nazem Kadri trade is a sensational move by an organization that cares about one thing — winning a championship.

Payton deserves praise for his work. As does general manager George Paton for creating a sturdy foundation through the draft.

But there is no longer room for patience. Be proactive, not reactive.

The NFL roster narrative is simple to follow. Construction hinges on having a franchise quarterback, as the Broncos have in Bo Nix.

And when you have one on a rookie contract, it provides an opportunity to take big swings at other positions. The Broncos are good at the most important: edge rusher, cornerback and left tackle.

They are not paying big money to a receiver or a tight end. And this is not the March to max out the credit card on those positions when reinforcements can be added in the draft.

That is not the case at running back. Once Jeremiyah Love comes off the board — possibly in the top five — the infatuation ends.

So pick up the phone and go big.

Etienne checks the boxes. He is dynamic. He is fast, capable of accelerating through the hole and shifting into third gear in the open field. He has soft hands and is better in space than an astronaut.

In many ways, he is a more available version of J.K. Dobbins. Dobbins was a terrific fit, but he played in only 10 games, unable to run away from his injury history.

Etienne, 27, has missed six games in four seasons. Durability is a skill. He has it. And he has also improved as a pass protector, meaning there should be no concern about leaving him in the game on third down.

It is a must to have a player like this. An obvious starter. And upgrade. R.J. Harvey boasts Joker traits in the passing game. He will not be forgotten. But context matters. The Broncos possess a championship-caliber defense. They are close.

This is not the platform to let a second-year player figure it out as he goes.

Enough.

The Broncos must address this position in a meaningful way. It feels like ����apountry would rather step in front of a moving bus than add someone like Rico Dowdle or Kenneth Gainwell.

Kenneth Walker III? Sure. He is coming off the best game of his career. In the biggest game of his life. That requires paying showroom floor prices.

It is not my money, so the $14.6 million annually he will command — using Breece Hall’s franchise tag as the floor — does not bother me.

The issue? It does not make as much sense since Walker is not an every-down back. Even after Zach Charbonnet tore up his knee, Walker still yielded snaps to the backup.

Let the Chiefs set the market. It is clear they will add a runner to take the pressure off Patrick Mahomes as he recovers from knee surgery.

His patience as a runner is the most appealing characteristic, a style that could finally marry the solid blocking metrics with results.

It has been an uncomfortable question after the past two seasons. The Broncos’ offensive line ranks near the top of the pack, and somehow the run game remains mediocre or, as in the case of a huge fourth down in the AFC Championship, unreliable.

Payton and Paton have earned the benefit of the doubt in the way they have built this team. But goodwill will get siphoned without a big splash.

The external and internal expectations should intersect this week.

Last year was different. Objectively, the Broncos were a year ahead of schedule. So they can be forgiven for trying to get by without explosive weapons. Their one stab at it did not work as Evan Engram morphed into a platoon player.

The Broncos cannot afford to try to live on that margin again. The Rams are going for it, acquiring star cornerback Trent McDuffie. The Bills are making a strong push, acquiring receiver D.J. Moore. The Ravens are shipping off two first-round picks for edge rusher Maxx Crosby. And the Seahawks, even if Walker signs somewhere else, are not going anywhere.

This is the type of approach required in Denver. It is easy to argue that this is the most important offseason since the Broncos added DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward and Emmanuel Sanders in 2014. That was back when John Elway was acting like George Steinbrenner.

This time around, the Broncos are only a fraction of that daring. A dash of that bold.

The Broncos have a problem. Their offense is not good enough for a championship. So, fix it.

Go to the ATM and sign Etienne.

It will be money well spent.